Calling all success stories...

Elizabeth Fry

Dear colleagues, Please give me a listen & feedback. I've been a member now for 3 months with out any results. I need to purchase a microphone for my Dell system that eliminates any background sound. Your honest assessment will be greatly appreciated. I mean really, nothing appreciates like I do!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Joe J Thomas · Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2007, 19:28 (GMT) Post subject:

Todd Ellis · Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007, 16:08 (GMT) Post subject:

Hi Elizabeth. I agree with Joe. The biggest issue is the room in which you are recording. It sounds like you are in the middle of an empty high school gym. You need to look into ways to "deaden" the room. There are several threads in this forum addressing that very issue. Mic choice is a very personal thing. Try out as many as you can before you buy. I notice quite a bit of sybilance - that ssss-sound. whatever mic you choose, you might also consider a pop filter or screen. Most likely some of the nice ladies on this forum would have a more accurate mic recommendation than I.

Good luck and welcome to the hoopla.

Cameron Thomas · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007, 23:15 (GMT) Post subject:

Elizabeth,

I took a quick listen too and think the most prominent noise is what sounds like hard surfaces as the other guys have alluded to. Soundproofing is key. I've been reconfiguring a corner in my basement with more sound foam (you can use blankets or maybe some of that floor matting in home improvement stores) to deaden the "echo".

I've noticed you mentioned a Dell system. This may be a minor problem too. However, I didn't notice the computer "hum" or fan noise on you demos (at least through the earphones)--that's good. I am running a Dell laptop and ran into huge sound problems with the sound card picking up the laptop noise. It was kinda "static-y" along with background noise too...just a mess. After some research, someone had said that Dells have grounding problems and is the reason for some of the noise. It's more apparent in laptops with everything crammed so close together, but perhaps not as bad for towers as they have a little more space inside. So the solution, or a more acceptable fix, was an external sound card...around $50...and it just hooks into a USB port. It's taken away just about all of the noise.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Cameron

George Karnes · Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007, 02:33 (GMT) Post subject:

Elizabeth-
Getting the sound right is tough. I am still working on my soundproofing. I prefer half empty pizza boxes. For some reason, sausage, olives and green peppers work best. Razz

Seriously, in reading the threads here, it seems people will and can use almost anything. My "soundproofing is primarily lots of soft clutter. I have a had a couple people mention that my recordings sound pretty quiet.

I think Todd's webpage says his studio is -64db or something, that is off the charts good but for most of us if we can just eliminating the fan noise, echoes , plosives (Ps & Bs), super esses (sibilance), and the sound of running feet, slamming doors and other children/spouse noises and we are in business.

Moving blankets work great or you can spend some real money and get acoustical foam.

Keep playing with it and listen to your recordings with them amplified 300 or 400 percent to help you identify noise sources.

Good luck,

Tom Daniels

Hi Elizabeth.

If you're still hearing hums or buzzes, or extraeneous noise behind your recorded voice, I'd like to offer a few suggestions that seem to have worked for me.

My current setup has my little 6-channel audio board going into my PC -- and back again -- with a pair of GROUND LOOP ISOLATOR cables. The cheapest version of this cable runs around 20 bucks at Radio Shack, although I'd go "whole hog" to a recording equipment supplier if you're really serious about this. It eliminates virtually all of the hum/buzz, and if you've ever heard faint AM radio signals thru your computer (when no other audio is running), it takes that out as well. I live in an apartment complex very close to the ABC radio tower in Northern NJ, and without the GLI cable I would hear their AM radio signal almost constantly.

A "unidirectional" microphone with a wide frequency range, carefully positioned AWAY from the PC and using a foam windscreen in addition to a "spit shield," has also worked for me. Shure and Sennheiser are good microphone choices. Again, check your local music equipment supplier.

I hope this helps. Good luck!
Tom Daniels

Sid Whatley · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007, 01:27 (GMT) Post subject:

I've said it 100 times before. Use a Noise Gate. My studio is in my extra bedroom with absolutely NO sound reinforcement and I never have any problems except when the dogs start barking or my neighbor decides to mow his lawn.

John M. Thomas · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007, 02:25 (GMT) Post subject:

Sid,

I agree. I use the threshold/gate on my inexpensive dbx unit and eliminate any and all noise. I'm not a tech head, but I did notice a difference in gating between dynamic and condenser mics. When using an RE-20 dynamic, I could only gate so much, before hearing some mic degradation, an almost clipping effect. With the condenser I can gate to my heart's content and all sounds the same without the noise.

Sid Whatley · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007, 13:46 (GMT) Post subject:

Yeah John.....and it's so simple and inexpensive. Too many people worry about acoustic's, mic selection, headphones, computer programs...etc. when they should concentrate on delivery & clarity. I don't even use a computer for recording & I can crank out a top-notch spot in 30 mins or less....but I'm "Old School". Hey...it works so I'm not gonna fix it!

Brian Hart · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007, 14:37 (GMT) Post subject:

Sid Whatley · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007, 14:48 (GMT) Post subject:

That's ok Brian. Personally I just never had any problems with background noise or "room sound" in my home studio. Maybe I just got lucky. But I do live in a quiet area!

Colin Campbell · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007, 17:37 (GMT) Post subject:

Sid Whatley · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007, 18:57 (GMT) Post subject:

I use the Alesis Adat system which is basically an 8-channel digital recorder which uses special high-quality VHS Digital Tapes. Course I have to have all the outboard gear (reverb, compression, CD burner & 24channel board....etc) rack-mounted into one big unit. It does take up a lot more room but, again, it ain't broke so I ain't gonna fix it....right now anyway. Here's a pic of my studio which I had posted way back when. The 8-channel recorder is directly above the board in the middle.

Colin Campbell · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007, 19:17 (GMT) Post subject:

Look at you Sid! You have to go through all those CD's to find music too. One of the things I DO like about computer recording is going through ripped files quickly instead of individual CD's. I do like outboard gear though. When I solicitted for opinions on a Lexicon effects unit, the masses asked me "what will you do with it?" I never liked software based effects but they have gotten pretty good lately.

Sid Whatley · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007, 19:22 (GMT) Post subject:

Your right Colin. I do have to go thru them but since it's a custom library they are all categorized and also all of the selections have the Full Song version, 60sec, 30sec and 10sec and sometimes even more. It's really not a problem. To me it's the same as having to look for them on a computer. But, of course, rather than just "click" I have to put em into the player and then transfer.